After years of having the study materials in my possession and stressing over the exam, I finally sat for the NSCA-CPT exam last month and passed with flying colors. So, I'm now an official personal trainer.

I'm now pursuing the CSCS and USAW certifications. I'm actually going to Colorado Springs (US Olympic Training Center) next weekend to participate in the USAW Level 1 Sport Performance certification. I'm excited about that because Olympic Weightlifting is great for athletic development and it's also just damn fun to do.

I am hoping that I can get better at my clean technique. My snatch actually isn't too horrible. For some reason, I just can't figure out how to catch a clean well. I tend to do the "high school football player" technique - i.e. a reverse arm curl as opposed to getting under the bar and rotating the elbows properly.

Anyway, I'm hoping that after the workshop, I'll feel more comfortable with my technique on these lifts.

By the way, if anybody ever decides to pursue the USAW Level 1 cert - if you're near Colorado Springs, I'd definitely recommend taking the course when it's held there. For a mere extra hundred bucks more than it costs to attend a course at a different location across the USA, I get room & board for 3 nights and meals. That's a huge savings compared to paying for a hotel and food elsewhere.

Anybody interested in studying for the CSCS? That's the "gold standard" certification at the moment for working with athletes. However, the CSCCA is becoming an even greater "gold standard" in the college S & C realm because it requires an extensive internship/mentorship before you're even allowed to sit for their exam.

As for the CSCS, all that you need is a BS/BA degree and to be CPR certified to sit for the exam. Your degree can be in anything - it doesn't have to be in a health/fitness-related field. I need someone to keep me on track so I can go take this test soon. I'm dragging in terms of preparation. I have the book and I have several powerpoint notes that go along plus a couple of practice exams. Let me know if you're interested - with the technology today, we could coordinate some online study sessions!

After years of having the study materials in my possession and stressing over the exam, I finally sat for the NSCA-CPT exam last month and passed with flying colors. So, I'm now an official personal trainer.
I'm now pursuing the CSCS and USAW certifications. I'm actually going to Colorado Springs (US Olympic Training Center) next weekend to participate in the USAW Level 1 Sport Performance certification. I'm excited about that because Olympic Weightlifting is great for athletic development and it's also just damn fun to do.

I am hoping that I can get better at my clean technique. My snatch actually isn't too horrible. For some reason, I just can't figure out how to catch a clean well. I tend to do the "high school football player" technique - i.e. a reverse arm curl as opposed to getting under the bar and rotating the elbows properly.

Anyway, I'm hoping that after the workshop, I'll feel more comfortable with my technique on these lifts.

By the way, if anybody ever decides to pursue the USAW Level 1 cert - if you're near Colorado Springs, I'd definitely recommend taking the course when it's held there. For a mere extra hundred bucks more than it costs to attend a course at a different location across the USA, I get room & board for 3 nights and meals. That's a huge savings compared to paying for a hotel and food elsewhere.

Anybody interested in studying for the CSCS? That's the "gold standard" certification at the moment for working with athletes. However, the CSCCA is becoming an even greater "gold standard" in the college S & C realm because it requires an extensive internship/mentorship before you're even allowed to sit for their exam.

As for the CSCS, all that you need is a BS/BA degree and to be CPR certified to sit for the exam. Your degree can be in anything - it doesn't have to be in a health/fitness-related field. I need someone to keep me on track so I can go take this test soon. I'm dragging in terms of preparation. I have the book and I have several powerpoint notes that go along plus a couple of practice exams. Let me know if you're interested - with the technology today, we could coordinate some online study sessions!

Congrats gymcoach. Once my money gets better, I was looking to get certified through the ISSA as a CPT.

Honestly, I would highly recommend getting it through NSCA, ACSM, or NASM.

I chose NSCA because almost all of the academics are affiliated with this organization and it's been around the longest. The CSCS was established in 1985 and their CPT also has had accreditation the longest - since 1993. Plus, price-wise, I took the online version of the test so that I didn't have the travel expense or the wait (you must register for the sit-down exam 2-3 months in advance) for $285. The book cost me 60-70 bucks. ACSM is pretty similar. But, some of these others are far more expensive and in my eyes and less respected amongst those who actually know anything

Truthfully, all have their shortcomings. ACSM is a bit more clinical-based. NASM offers some good physical therapy-related stuff, but is also a bit limited in some respects. And, the NSCA is limited in some of its areas.

Like I said, as far as certifications go, I think that the CSCCA (college strength & conditioning association) is headed in the right direction by requiring an actual mentorship before you can sit for its exam.

Ultimately, to be a more legit profession, personal training needs to move towards licensing - just like a massage therapist, PT, physicians, etc. I think in the future we'll see that.

You don't need a degree for the NSCA-CPT - just be certified in CPR, 18, and a high school graduate. You are required to send a copy of your HS diploma to the NSCA national office.

Oh, and thanks to everyone for the congratulations! I appreciate it. I haven't actually done anything with it - I have to tie up a few other loose ends first. I need to get the CSCS and then I need to finish off my other master's thesis. Then, I have a few other educational things that I'd like to get under my belt to have a stronger knowledge base on general movement principles.

My approach to training is really modeled under the framework of developing strong movement patterns. People can look great, but move like sh**. All that does is predispose them to potential pain and injury down the road - whether in sport/activity or just activities of daily life. Many times, this is due to movement patterns or training habits that cause muscle imbalances, movement asymmetries, etc. A knowledgeable trainer can catch many of these things via a detailed assessment and correct them through sound training before they become an issue down the road. More efficient movement mechanics can help an individual to perform better in the weight room and on the athletic field. And, it can serve to help them with reducing their risk of injury.

None of these certifications really attack training under this model. The closest is NASM, but even it has some shortcomings in its approach. It presents its own model of training and it's too limited and narrow in scope. All training practices and approach have their place - it is dependent upon the goals of the person in addition to what their needs are on the way to reaching those goals.

Let me know if you need any study help. By the way, aren't you in SA? I now reside in Lubbock, but my cousin is in the SA area. I think he lives up near New Braunfels now and works in Seguin. So, I will probably making a trip over there sometime this summer. We'll have to meet up.

Grats, now can you tell me why my right calf muscles tightens up every time I run

Without seeing you or assessing you, it sure sounds like you probably have some ankle mobility issues such that you're "locked" into plantarflexion (toes pointed) quite a bit. This would cause a lot of tightness in those muscles. My suggestion would be some ankle mobility work to get some dorsiflexion ROM back.

Here is a great video with a couple of ankle mobility drills from my buddy, Bill Hartman. Bill is an awesome physical therapist and private strength coach/personal trainer in the Indianapolis area.

He provides an assessment and gives you some strategies for some soft tissue work as well. It may just be that you have a lot of fascial tension back there, too. Hence, it may not be completely muscular in nature. We have dense, fascial connective tissue all over the body and often it gets "bound" up and tight. Little "knots" or adhesions can also develop (trigger points) and this can create issues.

Hope that this helps!

And, none of this I learned through my certification - a certification is a piece of paper to get your foot in the door to actually become a trainer and help your liability risk. Truthfully, you have to go on your own to really get the education. Even a degree isn't that great because there's a bit of a disconnect between many academics and the practical world!